Long Enough
by Linwe Elendil
Summary: Set during the episode A Hundred Days.  Full of spoilers and angst.  You have been warned!


Disclaimer: As much as I would like to have Richard Dean Anderson all to myself, I do not. Nor do I own anything having to do with SG1. Sad, isn't it?

I will warn you right now – I do not know much about the characters of SG1. I'm new to the series. I just had to write this after watching _A Hundred Days_. I couldn't stand the ending! Not that it was bad; it was just… not what I expected. I needed more closure than that!

* * *

"Toss it." 

Doing her best to hide a look of shock and gratitude, Laira turned on her heel with Jack's old clothes and marched away from the house. She could not believe he had so readily agreed to give up these reminders of his former life – the argument she was expecting never came.

Had she known the struggle it would set off in her heart, Laira would never have touched the device.

She sat silently at dinner that night – Jack explaining another of his local games – as she held the device out of sight. Part of her wanted to bury it, and hope it would never speak again. But she loved him too much to betray him in such a way. So, when he asked her what was wrong, she had no other choice than to tell him the truth.

As Jack ran from what should have been his home, Laira stared blankly ahead of her. She recalled moments in the darkest hours of the night – as his strong arms held her close – she would feel him inhale her scent, and tried not to be disappointed when his nose seemed to wrinkle in distaste. Sometimes he would unconsciously smooth a hand over her hair, as if trying to straighten her curls. But what hurt most were the times he would whisper, "Samantha." That was when he would begin to cry. She had no idea, from watching them interact before the fire rain, that he had felt this way about his comrade. He seemed to love her, but it was clear that they did not share the kind of relationship that led to marriage and a family.

Laira's heart ached. For one hundred days she had had a husband again – a normal life. But she knew, as she watched him free his friend from the suffocating dirt – that a different hundred days awaited her now. She would spend them in mourning once again.

xXx

As soon as Sam saw him, she felt an overwhelming urge to run into his arms. To kiss him senseless for all the worry and sleepless nights he had caused her. One hundred days was a long time to not know if the man you… loved (at least she could admit it to herself) was dead or alive – to wonder what he was doing.

In an attempt to mask her uncertainty, Sam fell easily into her habit of going on about the technical points of the rescue that Jack would never have been interested in. But her stomach sank as he ignored her completely and walked away – her voice trailed off. She looked to Daniel. "Is he alright?"

"He's fine," her friend replied. "I just don't think he was expecting to go home again."

Sam watched Jack walk resolutely to Laira, and the pieces fell together. She swallowed hard to push down her disappointment and jealousy, wanting nothing more than to scream and throw a rock at his retreating form. She ached to call out; _I've spent this whole time fighting to get you back! Damn it, can't you even do me the courtesy of __**looking at me?! **__**I love you!**_ Instead, she turned away, knowing the longer she looked at him, the harder it would be to control her emotions. When she could no longer stop herself, Sam snuck a peek over her shoulder as Jack said goodbye to Laira.

_Well_ – she was able to console herself – _at least he didn't kiss her._

xXx

Jack found, with a shock of surprise, that he wasn't even trying to listen to Carter. His heart felt torn in two. He wanted to bury his face in her hair – inhale the scent that he had missed entirely more than was appropriate. But he hesitated as he thought of Laira.

_Was one hundred days long enough to fall in love?_

He was disgusted with himself – ashamed. After all this woman had done for him, shared with him – knowing full well that his heart ached for his real home – he couldn't even kiss her goodbye. Jack grasped her tightly, fighting the feelings he had for both women – knowing which ones were stronger, and hating himself for what he could not give Laira. His heart had belonged to someone else for a few years now. So he released her and stepped back, telling himself that he didn't kiss her because he was supposed to act professionally in front of his team. But the real reason echoed relentlessly in his head. _Sam is watching…_

He turned away from Laira, fighting a sudden bout of nausea as he walked silently to the stargate. He couldn't bring himself to look back.

* * *

Yeah, it's short. I don't know if that went anything like it should have, so I would really appreciate it if you could drop me a line and let me know! 

;-)


End file.
